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K elly Kuchinsky (her married name) describes her- are already more receptive to marketing outreach. “Skiing is cool

and enjoying a renaissance with people my age, who are giving
self as an “ABC”—American-born Chinese; she and
her parents were all born in California. Now 33, she’s
upward mobility will ensure they continue to ski and introduce
a banker, a new mom, and a snowboarder from a skiing family. up their snowboards and strapping on skis,” she says. “Increasing
Kuchinsky says one of the first things that US ski areas can do to their kids to skiing.”
attract more Chinese to the sport is to be aware of typical family Kuchinsky says the barrier to entry for new-wave Chinese

Making a Cultural Connection dynamics that can influence decisions on how they spend their Americans is the same for any other group—cost and the dif-
time and money.
ficulty of learning—but one way around this is to increase the
with Snowsports in the US Many Chinese households are multi-generational, cachet of skiing as a luxury sport. “The cool, rich, and successful
Kuchinsky points out, with the entire family living together and do it. Sell that image, and Chinese wealth will follow,” she adds.
vacationing together. Chinese families tend to treat their elders If Kuchinsky is an ABC, LiLing Pang—CEO/founder of
with the utmost consideration and respect, which usually pre- the family travel website and app Trekaroo—is a first-genera-
determines who will get the best room. The average ski lodg- tion American. Pang, 43, was born in Singapore, and her sugges-
ing configuration in the US isn’t ideal for these families, because tions apply more to overseas Asians than those born and raised in
unless there are two equally nice master bedrooms, the big- the US. She too says the American ski industry should work the
ger or better room is likely to go to the grandparents. That’s not angle of prestige, relating skiing and snowboarding with status.
a great prospect for the generation next in line, i.e., the people The typical stereotype of Asians is changing dramatically
likely making the decisions about where to go, what to do, and as they become more affluent, and many are well-traveled and
where to stay. have a broad variety of interests, including snowsports. “Take,
BY JULES OLDER But perhaps the biggest deterrent for a multi-generational for example, my friends from Singapore who have to travel far
Chinese family to visit a ski area is the fact that there are rarely and wide to ski. They typically fly to Japan, but many are off to
other entertainment options nearby, Kuchinsky says. “What is Europe, the USA, and Canada to hit the slopes. Since a ski holi-
there to attract Grandma and Grandpa to a ski vacation? They day is a considerable expense, they want the best experience possi-
don’t exercise or believe in exercising, it’s cold, there’s not a lot of ble, and they are willing to pay for it,” she says.
high-end shopping. Plus, no Chinese restaurants,” she contin- A common difference between skiers from Asian countries
ues. “If you’re a newbie skier, you want to take maybe two hours and those in North America has to do with the time they’re will-
of falling on your butt, then spend the rest of the time getting ing to spend at a resort, Pang notes. Ski holidays tend to be lon-
warm. Casinos are a huge draw . . . my people do like gambling ger for visitors from Asian countries, and most will rent equipment
. . . but often times they’re not close enough, unless you’re skiing rather than bring gear with them because their vacation will often
Heavenly.” include visiting another destination. And—as with Kuchinsky’s
What about younger Asian skiers? According to Kuchinsky, observation about the importance of other, non-skiing/snow-
the under-30 ABCs are already on board—indicating that they boarding activities—Pang says ski resorts near major destinations

Figure 1. Figure 2.
Ethnic Representation Ethnic Representation Among Beginner Participants
in Snowsports, 2007/08 – 2016/17 in Snowsports, 2014/15 – 2017/18 (preliminary data)
Source: NSAA National Demographic Study Source: NSAA Beginner Conversion Study

REQUIREMENT 16/17 15/16 14/15 13/14 12/13 11/12 10/11 09/10 08/09 07/08 17/18 16/17 15/16 14/15
WHITE / CAUCASIAN 84.8% 86.7% 87.0% 87.1% 88.3% 87.0% 87.7% 89.2% 88.9% 86.8% 75.1% 76.2% 75.3% 70.5%

ASIAN / PACIFIC ISLANDER 6.4% 5.2% 4.8% 5.0% 4.3% 4.5% 4.3% 3.9% 4.9% 4.8% 13.0% 12.1% 13.4% 14.7%

HISPANIC / SPANISH / LATINO 5.0% 5.5% 5.4% 4.7% 4.3% 5.2% 3.5% 2.2% 2.5% 3.2% 9.9% 9.5% 8.2% 12.0%
OTHER 3.6% 2.5% 2.3% 1.7% 1.6% 1.5% 2.0% 2.3% 1.4% 2.3% 2.1% 2.4% 2.1% 4.0%

AFRICAN AMERICAN 1.2% 1.0% 1.3% 1.2% 1.1% 1.3% 1.7% 1.4% 1.7% 1.9% 2.0% 1.9% 2.0% 1.9%

NATIVE AMERICAN 0.7% 0.3% 0.4% 0.3% 0.5% 0.5% 0.7% 1.0% 0.7% 1.0% 0.0% 0.6% 0.5% 0.5%
TOTAL 101.6% 101.3% 101.2% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 102.1% 102.7% 101.5% 103.6%

CONVENTION 2018 | NSAA JOURNAL | 35